Every scrapbooker dreams of having their own space to sit and create. Some are lucky enough to have a dedicated space, and some have to be content to use closets, share rooms or simply pull it out every time they wish to scrap.
Once upon a time, in a land far away. Okay, well only about two and a half years ago and not really so far away, about two miles up the road. I lived in a house where I truly had my own dedicated scrap space. It was spare bedroom and I had it painted all pretty and decorated with layouts and storage and I loved it. We moved two and a half years ago into the home we are in now where I promptly set up residence in a back corner of the basement. Yes, well that didn’t last too long. The lighting was terrible, I was constantly finding dead bugs in my drawers and quite frankly it was musty, dusty and dirty down there. Dreary is a word I often used. Certainly not some place you’d like to spend time preserving your memories.
Flash forward to about six months ago. I vacated my space and set up scrapbook camp in my living room. We have a large living room so while we lost space in the living room due to my overwhelming amount of stuff, we weren’t utilizing the space that I took up for anything else. At first I was really wary about moving up to the living room. I hated the idea that when someone entered our home the first thing they saw was scrapbook tables and storage units and bookshelves filled to the brim and overflowing with items. And then I got real. If you love me, you’ll accept my creative mess and move on. There is still plenty of room to entertain in our living room and I’m happy with the results. We are in the slow and painful process of finishing our basement to create more space, and in the long run I will once again have a dedicated space. Am I happy? Yes. Am I worried about it a little? Yes. Why? Because one of the things that happened when I moved my space up to the living room is that I got more scrapbooking done, and I was able to spend time with the family at the same time. So one of the things I am hoping for when we finish the basement is a family room with a room attached to it down there so I can scrapbook while they hang out in the family room (which would essentially be all part of the same room, sort of.)
My scrap area is a bit messy from the past week of scrapbooking and I really need to get it cleaned up again, but I am going to show you pictures anyway. While it might seem like a total mess and eyesore to some of you, it is so comfortable, my whole family loves it and encouraged it.
So here it is.
Next week I will provide a more detailed walk through of what is what and where and how it is organized, etc.
I would love to see where you work. Feel free to upload into the families gallery.
Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Scrapbooking Articles:
One Sheet of Cardstock Mini Book
Using Paper Flowers on Your Scrapbook Layouts
How To Use Distressing On Your Layouts
Using Ink Pads to Distress or Add Dimension To Your Layouts
5 Fun Scrapbooking Techniques to Try On Your Layouts
How to Create Your Own Metal Tags